CREATING AN

ECO-FRIENDLY
BURN BARREL

Avery Dinh
Sophomore Oral Defense
Captain Ben Holley
Cobb County Fire Department
 THE PATHWAY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENGINEERING
AND DESIGN FOR MY PROJECT WAS SELECTED BASED
OFF OF DATA COLLECTED IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR OF THE

Why was PROJECT. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, AND ENGINEERS

IN GENERAL, ARE CONSTANTLY SEEKING OUT

this OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE SOMETHING THAT ALREADY

EXISTS BY ADDING IN NEW ELEMENTS. IN PURSUING THIS

pathway PATHWAY, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN A

TOPIC I WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT AND KNEW THE

chosen? TARGET AUDIENCE . KNOWING MY TARGET AUDIENCE IN

ADVANCE, I CREATED AN INFLUENTIAL PRODUCT THAT
IMPROVES ON AN OVERLOOK ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.
 BENEFITS OF TRADITIONAL BARRELS

Rural
Eliminates travel Longstanding Inexpensive
and expenses of symbol of self- option
transfer stations sufficiency

Suburban/Urban
More reliable Inexpensive
than trash pickup option
services
 NEGATIVES OF TRADITIONAL BARRELS

Rural
Risk of starting Can severely Bio-accumulates
fire with harm user health into agriculture
improper use and livestock

Suburban/Urban
Unfeasible in Government policies
regulate burning
high-density (EPA Clean Air Act/
areas Dioxin Strategy)
 BACKGROUND

Escaped debris from

burning accounts for

87%
CURRENT of forest fire causes
(National Interagency Fire center,

ISSUES
2020)

Burning of household trash An average of

accounts for

32% 20,000,000
participate in backyard burning
of carcinogenic matter annually
released (EPA, 2000)
(Sierra Club, 2009)
 ENGINEERING DESIGN OBJECTIVES

DEBRIS CO FILTER BARREL

REDUCTION EFFECTIVENESS DURABILITY
Eliminate Average CO Barrel and filter
windblown emissions will will withstand
embers decrease testing

ENHANCED ALTERNATIVE
Provide rural, urban, and suburban users a safe and Eco-Friendly way to burn

*No current alternative to traditional burn barrels for users

2023 Blueprint
Total Material Cost: $150.12
 TESTING ENVIRONMENT CONSIDERATIONS

BARREL
➢ Cobb County Fire Safety Training Facility
TESTING
➢ Under supervision of Captain Ben Holley

➢ Testing in burn room limits wind

interference

➢ Consistent environment both years

Testing Procedure
Results: CO Filter Effectiveness

Control
347.895
Average
ppm
CO
Eco-
Friendly 192.316
Average ppm
CO

CO Percent
Reduction
44.70%
Results: CO Filter Effectiveness

Control
7.000
Average
ppm
CO
Eco-
Friendly 4.579
Average ppm
CO

CO Percent
Reduction
34.60%
 LIMITATIONS
▪ Damage was observed on the middle
portion of the filter, near the connection to
the heat source
Before Testing ▪ Used standard home CO filter, not
intended for high heat situations
▪ Only leaves were used in testing
▪ Large barrel size made it difficult to easily
collect results

After Testing
 Was the prototype successful?
Debris CO Filter Barrel Enhanced
Reduction Effectiveness Durability Alternative
• No visible • Reduced • Carbon • Proof of
debris CO in both filter concept to
emitted readings damaged serve user
 ▪ Condense size for easier user
experience; separate elements

▪ Implement compressed carbon filter

FUTURE without woven material
STEPS
▪ Test and measure different air
contaminants
▪ Burn different materials and record
CO variability
 References
Day, L. (2021, October 21). Smokeless burn barrel makes your backyard fire much cleaner. Hackaday.
https://hackaday.com/2021/10/21/smokeless-burn-barrel-makes-your-backyard-fire-much-cleaner/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2000). Agriculture and air quality. United States Environmental
Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/agriculture/agriculture-and-air-quality#backyardburn
Jackson, J. (2009, November). Backyard dioxin factories. Sierra, 94(6), 27.https://web-p-ebscohost-
com.us1.proxy.openathens.net/ehost/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=28fc23a9-e27b-4b3d-aac9-
10939f6f707b%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=45022682
&db=a9h
National Interagency Fire Department. (2020). Wildfire investigation. National Interagency Fire Center.
https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/fire-prevention-education-mitigation/wildfire-investigation
Polonini, L. F., Petrocelli, D., Parmigiani, S. P., & Lezzi, A. M. (2019). Influence on CO and PM Emissions
ofan Innovative Burner Pot for Pellet Stoves: An Experimental Study. Energies (19961073), 12(4),
590. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12040590
*Received outside assistance from Fire Captain Ben Holley during testing
*All images and graphs produced by Avery Dinh
QUESTIONS?